


Sisterly Help

by orphan_account



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Corporal Punishment, Domestic Discipline, F/M, Husbands, Married Life, Multi, Sisters, Spanking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-15 18:58:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9251450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Eliza is not sure how to deal with her husband's increasingly rude attitude. Angelica knows just the fix.





	1. Chapter 1

Deciding that it was her responsibility as a sensible wife, Eliza had been the one to initiate things. The behavior had been going on for far too long for her to continue brushing the repeated offenses under the rug time and time again.

Naturally, the first person that she reached out to had been Angelica. Her older sister was a no-nonsense sort of woman, and, although she was living in London, had written Eliza just weeks earlier to inform her that she was visiting home. The only problem was that Eliza had not a single idea of how to start the letter.

_Dearest Angelica,_

_I am well aware that this letter is out of the cycle of our normal correspondence, but a problem has surfaced, and I am convinced that I am not properly equipped to ameliorate it._

_Alexander has always been a man of ..._

Crouched over the writing desk within her husband's study, Eliza sighed quietly and set down the pen she was writing with. Something felt off about talking about him in his absence, within his own workspace. She was rarely in here during the time he was home, except to check in on him every now and again on the days he barricaded himself in his work, but this was the only proper place in their home for her to write.

Today, Alexander was out at the General's house, drafting something or other, and he wasn't due to be back until supper, giving her plentiful time to do.. this.

She wasn't sure how to continue the letter. For a man that spoke so much, with such a large personality, Alexander was not easily captured within language, and Eliza certainly did not consider herself to be a wordsmith.

 _Alexander has always been a man of his own will. Since the day I first met him, he was looking forward at his own future, what_ he  _wanted to do. As you know, his career has been flourishing under Gen. Washington, with a plethora of new opportunities, but I seem to have been left in the backdrop._

It wasn't as if Eliza was insecure within their marriage. No, she loved her husband, and more importantly, she  _trusted_ her dear Alexander, but he had been distracted lately. Snappy, quick-tempered, and more irritable than he ever had been.

_Since Gen. Washington has offered Alexander a position in the federal government, he seems to have forgotten about me, and our marriage, and even, at times, the little ones. Now, as you know, my husband has never been and never will be deeply involved in conventional marital life, and he has never been a conventional husband, but recently, he has barely been a partner to me._

It was hard to continue the letter. Continuing would mean truly telling Angelica what was going on in their home. Eliza, in those few moments, pen hovering over the paper, was forced to decide between her husband's privacy and dignity, and seeking for help to end the struggle.

The decision wasn't as hard as she thought it would be.

_I do pray that you realize I am only telling you this because of how direly I am in need of assistance. Alexander has been lashing out at home. He has been refusing to join the family for meals, sleeping in his office and snapping at me when I exhort him to do otherwise, and is eternally in a terrible mood. Just the other day, he was irritated because I had come into his study and interrupted him._

_Now, I realize that he is a busy man, and I acknowledge the amount of stress that he must be under at a time like this, but there has to be something I can do to adjust this. I have had enough with the nastiness I've been receiving in my own home. I married Alexander, all of him, not half of his attention-span whenever he feels as if I deserve it._

_Angelica, my dear, I am troubled. I feel like a new bride again as I write to you seeking advice on how to handle my household, but I am utterly unsure. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Please do write back soon, and inform me further regarding your visit._

_Love always, your sister,_

_Elizabeth Hamilton_

* * *

A month later, Eliza received a letter back from her older sister, and could barely contain the mixture of guilt and anticipation she was feeling as Alexander handed it to her one morning.

With shaky hands, she tore open the envelope, and removed the neat piece of parchment from inside of it. As she opened it, she saw that the letter was... short. Nothing compared to what she had sent her sister weeks prior.

The neat script wrote:

_Dearest Eliza,_

_You are not the first wife to deal with an unruly spouse, and certainly will not be the final. As much as I would like to give you advice on your situation now, I have decided it is best for everyone in the situation if we deal with it while I am presently in the home._

_Don't fret, sister, for I will assist you in fixing this situation. I am convinced that I have the answer, though I must further discuss this with you when I arrive..._

_I am sailing to New York again this week, and by the time you receive this letter, I will be nearly there. We will talk then._

_Sincerely,_

_Angelica Church_

Eliza folded the letter back up again, and was slipping it back into the envelope with care as she met her husband's eyes.

"When is Angelica set to arrive, Betsey?" Alexander asked, absentmindedly reaching for the letter as he placed her other hand on her shoulder, but Eliza quickly set it in her lap.

"Soon, I've gathered," Eliza murmured as she flashed a quick smile up to her husband, and then looked down at the letter again.

 


	2. Chapter 2

"So, tell me more about what has been going on here at home with Alexander."

Angelica sat down on the small couch next to her sister, her dark green dress settling around her. A porcelain teacup painted with intricate little wreaths sat atop a saucer on her lap, though she'd only accepted the tea from Eliza because she'd gone through the trouble of making it. Even being in London hadn't made her a tea person.

A quiet sigh came from Eliza's lips. She looked tired. Her dark hair was tied behind her neck in a loose knot, and small strands were hanging loose in front of her face. "I told you, he just..." She shook her head ever-so-slightly. "The man doesn't listen to a single word I say, you might as well think I'm some schoolgirl vying for her teacher's attention!"

Angelica nodded as her sister spoke, and reached her hand across to set it atop Eliza's. Without thinking about it, Eliza grasped onto it.

Her tone grew more upset as she continued. "All I do is get dismissive remarks, and then he calls me Betsey and kisses me and acts like that makes up for him ignoring me all day." Eliza took a deep breath, and met Angelica's eyes. "And then, sometimes he gets angry at me for the littlest of things, and I go to bed-  _alone_ \- feeling guilty when I didn't do a thing!"

It was clear now that there had been more than Eliza was willing to share in the letter, and Angelica was realizing that this had most likely been going on for much longer than she had suspected. And just a year ago when she saw her sister, she was still head-over-heels infatuated with her husband, pregnant with their first daughter, all giggles and smiles and smitten.

Or had she just been hiding it then, too?

"And then, oh, and  _then_ , when I try to talk to him about it, to talk the issues through, he ignores me! Now, I know that I'm his wife and that he has  _bigger_ things he's dealing with but all I want is something from him."

In a quiet voice, Eliza added, "I'm getting nothing."

Angelica set the saucer off to the table and leaned into her sister, pulling the younger girl into a tight hug. She could feel the tears on her shoulder, and Eliza was sniffling quietly.

It was damn near heartbreaking for her to see her like this. Eliza used talk about him like he hung the stars, and all she ever spoke about was how lucky she was to have married him- and it hurt. Angelica had since recovered from what she once felt for her sister's husband, and it was not going to play a part in this at all. Angelica was married. Angelica had a child. Alexander was nothing more than her sister's husband to her.

But she knew that if Eliza agreed to take action with Angelica, Alexander was unpredictable, and there was no way of telling how he would react. Everything with him was like Russian roulette. His moods changed at the drop of a hat, and according to Eliza, even moreso recently.

"Eliza, darling," Angelica cooed in a soft voice, running her hand up and down her sister's back in an attempt to calm her down. "Look at me, will you? Gather yourself and look up at me."

With teary eyes, Eliza looked up at her older sister, wiping them with the sleeve of her dress. "I just.. I'm sorry, I know that it's childish of me to be breaking down, but I'm just..."

Angelica set her hand on her sister's cheek. "Don't apologize to me. You know that I'm here to help, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yes, I know."

"And I think I might have a solution to your problem, but you must listen to me before you decline."

"I will listen, I need any help I can get," Eliza promised, nodding again quickly, her voice pitifully desperate.

Angelica took a deep breath in preparation for what she was about to say. "I think that it would be in your best interest to pursue.. domestic discipline in your marriage."

Eliza knitted her dark eyebrows together in confusion, her bottom lip quivering just slightly. "What do you.. What do you mean?"

Sighing softly and looking down for a brief second, Angelica realized that of course her younger sister didn't know what she was implying. Not so much because it was so radically out of line, but Eliza genuinely didn't understand.

"What I mean is.." Angelica looked up at her sister again, meeting her gaze. "Has Alexander ever.. administered correction?"

It was almost impossible for her to say it without cringing.

A dark blush rose to Eliza's already rosy-from-tears cheeks as she realized what Angelica meant. "N-no, no, he's never-" She shook her head quickly, adjusting her hair, a nervous habit. "No."

Of course he hadn't. Alexander wasn't that sort of husband. As dismissive and inadvertently demeaning he could be at times, specifically with women, and even more with Eliza, he was never one to try to dominate anything. And he would never lay an unwanted hand on his wife.

Angelica knew this. She had a grasp on her sister's marriage, the games they played, and the games they didn't.

Angelica knew her sister as well. Elizabeth Schuyler, the middle sister, the good wife, calm and collected, refined and respectful, gracious and gentle. She knew that what she was about to ask of her might be pushing her limits.

But limits weren't of the importance right now; dealing with the issue at hand was.

"Would you ever consider taking it into your own hands and administering correction to your husband?"

 


	3. Chapter 3

"So, tell me more about what has been going on here at home with Alexander."

Angelica sat down on the small couch next to her sister, her dark green dress settling around her. A porcelain teacup painted with intricate little wreaths sat atop a saucer on her lap, though she'd only accepted the tea from Eliza because she'd gone through the trouble of making it. Even being in London hadn't made her a tea person.

A quiet sigh came from Eliza's lips. She looked tired. Her dark hair was tied behind her neck in a loose knot, and small strands were hanging loose in front of her face. "I told you, he just..." She shook her head ever-so-slightly. "The man doesn't listen to a single word I say, you might as well think I'm some schoolgirl vying for her teacher's attention!"

Angelica nodded as her sister spoke, and reached her hand across to set it atop Eliza's. Without thinking about it, Eliza grasped onto it.

Her tone grew more upset as she continued. "All I do is get dismissive remarks, and then he calls me Betsey and kisses me and acts like that makes up for him ignoring me all day." Eliza took a deep breath, and met Angelica's eyes. "And then, sometimes he gets angry at me for the littlest of things, and I go to bed-  _alone_ \- feeling guilty when I didn't do a thing!"

It was clear now that there had been more than Eliza was willing to share in the letter, and Angelica was realizing that this had most likely been going on for much longer than she had suspected. And just a year ago when she saw her sister, she was still head-over-heels infatuated with her husband, pregnant with their first daughter, all giggles and smiles and smitten.

Or had she just been hiding it then, too?

"And then, oh, and  _then_ , when I try to talk to him about it, to talk the issues through, he ignores me! Now, I know that I'm his wife and that he has  _bigger_ things he's dealing with but all I want is something from him."

In a quiet voice, Eliza added, "I'm getting nothing."

Angelica set the saucer off to the table and leaned into her sister, pulling the younger girl into a tight hug. She could feel the tears on her shoulder, and Eliza was sniffling quietly.

It was damn near heartbreaking for her to see her like this. Eliza used talk about him like he hung the stars, and all she ever spoke about was how lucky she was to have married him- and it hurt. Angelica had since recovered from what she once felt for her sister's husband, and it was not going to play a part in this at all. Angelica was married. Angelica had a child. Alexander was nothing more than her sister's husband to her.

But she knew that if Eliza agreed to take action with Angelica, Alexander was unpredictable, and there was no way of telling how he would react. Everything with him was like Russian roulette. His moods changed at the drop of a hat, and according to Eliza, even moreso recently.

"Eliza, darling," Angelica cooed in a soft voice, running her hand up and down her sister's back in an attempt to calm her down. "Look at me, will you? Gather yourself and look up at me."

With teary eyes, Eliza looked up at her older sister, wiping them with the sleeve of her dress. "I just.. I'm sorry, I know that it's childish of me to be breaking down, but I'm just..."

Angelica set her hand on her sister's cheek. "Don't apologize to me. You know that I'm here to help, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yes, I know."

"And I think I might have a solution to your problem, but you must listen to me before you decline."

"I will listen, I need any help I can get," Eliza promised, nodding again quickly, her voice pitifully desperate.

Angelica took a deep breath in preparation for what she was about to say. "I think that it would be in your best interest to pursue.. domestic discipline in your marriage."

Eliza knitted her dark eyebrows together in confusion, her bottom lip quivering just slightly. "What do you.. What do you mean?"

Sighing softly and looking down for a brief second, Angelica realized that of course her younger sister didn't know what she was implying. Not so much because it was so radically out of line, but Eliza genuinely didn't understand.

"What I mean is.." Angelica looked up at her sister again, meeting her gaze. "Has Alexander ever.. administered correction?"

It was almost impossible for her to say it without cringing.

A dark blush rose to Eliza's already rosy-from-tears cheeks as she realized what Angelica meant. "N-no, no, he's never-" She shook her head quickly, adjusting her hair, a nervous habit. "No."

Of course he hadn't. Alexander wasn't that sort of husband. As dismissive and inadvertently demeaning he could be at times, specifically with women, and even more with Eliza, he was never one to try to dominate anything. And he would never lay an unwanted hand on his wife.

"Would you ever consider taking it into your own hands and administering correction to your husband?"

 


	4. Chapter 4

This wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, that the two women ganged up on Alexander.

Eliza and Angelica had always been a dual unit. They came together. Hell, when he first met his wife, they were together. It wasn't shocking, or groundbreaking, but it never really did seem to get any less intimidating, although he'd never admit it.

Maybe it was Eliza's quiet composure, the way her eyes flitted back and forth between her husband and her sister, mouth slightly open as if she might say something. Maybe it was Angelica's stare, unwavering, legs crossed and hands folded in front of her.

But he'd been dreading this from the moment he walked in.

* * *

"What am I supposed to say to him?"

Anxiety was seeping from Eliza's voice as she looked over at Angelica, eyes wide. Half of her couldn't believe she'd agreed to this, and the other half was just wallowing in regret and a sickly anticipation.

Eliza wasn't one for confrontation. Not with Alexander, especially. It simply wasn't her style.

Angelica, on the other hand, was a disciplined in-your-face aficionado. It came naturally to her, something Eliza could never really comprehend about her older sister. She made it look easy, made it _seem_ like a breeze. Sadly, it was a wisdom not easily passed on.

"You tell him what I told you, Eliza." Angelica set her hand on top of her sister's, her voice slow as she spoke. "You tell him what we've talked about."

Her eyes fell down to her lap as she took a deep breath, nodding ever so slightly. "I'm just.. I'm not sure how to.."

Say it. Eliza wasn't sure how to say it.

_I've decided that you must be dealt with due to your behavior._

She almost felt like laughing as she thought it, picturing the look on her husband's face. It was pitiful. The situation was pitiful.

_I'm going to begin disciplining you regularly, because I simply cannot tolerate disrespect in this household anymore._

The agreement had been simple. If Alexander gave permission, Eliza would begin punishing Alexander routinely.  _Spanking_ Alexander routinely.

Just the idea brought about a storm of feelings. Uneasy, yes, but calm in a kind of way. As if it might be a resolution.

Angelica would administer the first punishment to her brother-in-law. She said she had experience- something Eliza was simultaneously shocked and somehow not at all surprised about- and didn't want to send her sister in blindly.  _A guiding hand_ , were the words she used.

Eliza was torn from her thoughts as she felt a quick squeeze on her hand. Angelica was gazing at her younger sister, a kind sort of look in her eyes that she knew she was going to miss in the coming moments.

"You need to do this, my dear," Angelica said quietly. "You deserve peace of mind within your own home."

* * *

 


End file.
